20th International Forgemasters Meeting - IFM 2017

In the production of the large forgings, a reduction in exhaust carbondioxide and nitrogenoxide is a key issue from the viewpoint of the environmental protection, and a decrease in fuel consumption of gas combustion type forging furnaces is therefore in highly demand. Japan Casting & forging Corporation (JCFC) has introduced new regenerative burners for the furnaces since 1999. In a furnace having a capacity of 500 metric tons, the burners replaced from the recuperators in the exhaust heat recovery system have achieved a reduction in the amount of the combustion fuel by about 30%. To raise the production capacity, JCFC has subsequently brought in three new large forging furnaces, together with a new 13,000 tons forging press in 2010. Further improvement of the advanced furnaces in addition to the regenerative burners has been conducted to cut down the fuel as follows: 1) Development of the materials and the construction method for the ceramics fiber heat insulator on the inner surface of the ceiling and the door to suppress the radiation heat capacity, 2) Restriction of the air flowing into the furnace by means of a decrease in the cooling air for fuel nozzle and a refinement of the mechanical seal to lower the density of oxygen inside the furnaces, 3) Introduction of a control unit for the whole exhaust on the regenerative burners to elevate the exhaust heat recovery efficiency. Above further improvements for the new forging furnaces have successfully provided a reduction in the fuel consumption by roughly 34% in comparison with the prior regenerative burner furnace introduced in 1999.